INF/IFD/W/13  
 
31 January 2020 
(20-0790) Page: 1/2 
 Original: English  
 
 
 
WTO STRUCTURED DISCUSSIO NS ON  
INVESTMENT FACILITAT ION FOR DEVELOPMENT  
INFORMAL MINISTERIAL  MEET ING ON INVESTMENT FA CILITATION  FOR DEVELOPMENT , 
23 JANUARY 2020 , DAVOS, SWITZERLAND  
REPORT BY THE COORDINATOR1  
The following communication dated 31 January  2020 is being circulated at the request of  the 
delegation of Chile . 
_______________  
1.  Chile, as the Coordinator of the Joint Initiative  on Investment Facilitation for Development,  
hosted an informal meeting of Ministers to discuss the next steps of the joint initiative  on Investment 
Facilitation for Development  at the WTO  and pave the way towards a concrete outcome on an 
investment facili tation framework at the WTO Twelfth Ministerial Conference ( MC12 ).2 The meeting 
was held on 23 January 2020 in the margins of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in 
Davos, Switzerland.  
2.  Following the Joint Ministerial Statemen t on Investment Facilitation for Development  issued by 
98 WTO Members  in November 2019 ,3 Ministers  at the meeting highlighted the important progress 
made by the joint initiative  both in terms of political support and substance , and re -affirmed their 
commitment to developing a multilateral framework on investment facilitation – keeping 
transparency, inclusiveness and development at the very heart  of the initiative .  
3.  Ministers re -affirmed their commitment to work towards a concrete outcome on investment 
facilitation by MC12 and to keep the momentum in the forthcoming crucial  months, including by 
conducting further outreach activities . They also confirmed the decision to move into negotiating 
mode as of March 2020 in order to achieve such concrete outcome.  
4.  Ministers welcomed the Philippines as the newest participant in the Initiative , following the  
announcement made at the meeting  in Davos . There are now 99 participating  WTO Members , 
representing well over half of the WTO 's membership  – as well as  64% of world GDP, 78% of global 
trade and 68% of global foreign direct investment (inward stock) .4 
 
1 The informal gathering, at Ministerial level, was coordinated by Mr Rodrigo Yañez Benítez, 
Vice-Minister of Trade of Chile, who fulfilled Chile's function as coordinator of the initiative on this occasion.  
2 The meeting gathered Ministers and high -level re presentatives representing  53 WTO Member s 
(European Union counted as 29).   
3 Document WT/L/1072/Rev.1 dated 22 November 2019.  In the  November 2019  Joint Ministerial 
Statement , issued in the aftermath of the Shanghai informal ministerial meeting , 98 WTO Members " committed 
to intensify work to further develop the framework for facilitating foreign direct investments, and work towards 
a concrete outcome on Investment Facilitation  for Development at the Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference 
(MC12) ". This joint ministerial statement follows upon the one issued by 70 WTO Members in December 2017 
in the margins of MC11, which called for beginning "structured discussions with the aim of d eveloping a 
multilateral framework on investment facilitation"  (document WT/MIN(17)/59 , dated 13  December 2017 ). 
4 Shares refer to 2018.  INF/IFD/W/13  
 
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  5.  Ministers conveyed their strong support and commitment in favour of the joint initiative and 
confirm ed that a framework on investment facilitation is seen as an important element to update 
and strengthen the multilateral rules -based system and make it more responsive to present -day 
needs  and global challenges  – notably the financing of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals , 
which will require a significant mobilization of investments . 
6.  Finally, Ministers welcomed the strong support and engagement by the private sector in favour 
of the initiative  – as highlighte d in a separate high-level meeting with business leaders, civil society 
and academics held at the World Economic Forum 's Annual Meeting 2020 in Davos .5 Ministers  
expressed their readiness to further strengthen the dialogue with business and investors , including 
micro, small and medium -sized enterprises  (MSMEs) . 
 
__________  
 
5 At that meeting, business leaders, government officials, civil society and academics released a 
message in support of  negotiating an international framework on investment facilitation for development at the 
WTO.  It is available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/talks -on-investment -for-development -
move -ahead/ .